<b>Chapter </b><b>464 </b>


    A figure took the seat beside me, but I was so absorbed in the big screen that I barely noticed. All I registered was that he was tall, with a faint woody cologne. Only then did I turn to see who it was.


    I almost gasped–it was someone I knew.


    ‘Edward!‘ I thought, stunned.


    Edward nced over at me, but before either of us could say anything, <i>someone </i>on his other side started talking to him. He turned politely to join their conversation.


    I recognized the guy–he was the deputy mayor, someone I’d seen on TV a lot. He leaned in toward Edward as they talked.


    Edward, meanwhile, sat with a presence that just radiated authority.


    Just a minute ago, I was totally absorbed in the big screen, thinking about how cool all this cutting–edge tech was.


    But now, I was squirming in my seat, desperate to switch ces as soon as possible.


    But the seats were all assigned, and with all these VIPs around, the only person I could possibly swap seats with was


    Jared.


    So, I reached out and gave his sleeve a sneaky little tug.


    Jared shot me a look, let out a little scoff, and yanked his sleeve out of reach.


    I didn’t care anymore. No way was I sitting next to Edward today–I was honestly kind of intimidated by him.


    “Jared, can we switch seats?” I leaned in and whispered, almost pleading.


    Jared finally caught on. He nced at me, then at Edward, and seemed to get what I was asking.


    “Guess you owe me one,” he said under his breath with a smirk, getting up and swapping seats with me.


    I quietly slid into his spot, while Jared took mine and leaned over to introduce himself to Edward in a low voice.


    Edward just pressed his lips together and gave a polite nod in response.


    I let out a silent sigh of relief–just like that, I owed Jared a favor.


    Theunch officially kicked off, with Nathan’s business partner taking the stage to give a speech. When he finished, the spotlight swung over to <b>Nathan</b>, who took the lead on the tech presentation. His words carried weight, his confidence was infectious, and you couldn’t help but believe every word he said.


    When Nathan finished his speech, a graceful figure suddenly darted out from the side of the stage, clutching a bouquet of flowers. She seized the moment and practically dashed up there.


    It was Emily, rocking a hot pink dress that swished around her legs. She looked young, gorgeous, and totally eye–catching.


    With all eyes on them, Nathan was clearly caught off guard when she rushed over. Emily leaned in and whispered


    10:31 Sat, 30 Aug


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    something, and he epted the flowers, immediately passing them off to his assistant like he couldn’t wait to get rid of


    them.


    Emily was bold, no doubt about it. She snuck in a quick hug before turning red and scurrying off the stage. Nathan looked super awkward, ncing over in my direction, like he was searching for someone in the crowd.


    I watched the whole thing unfold, but it didn’t stir anything in me.


    After myst chat with Emily, I knew she was genuinely a good person. If she and Nathan really ended up together, it’d be great for both of them.


    Even after that major falling out with the Chancellor family, Emily’s determination <i>to </i>win him over hasn’t wavered one bit.


    Who knows, if Miss Chancellor keeps up her passionate pursuit, she might just break through Nathan’s frosty defenses.


    They always say, when a girl chases a guy, it’s like there’s barely any barrier at all.


    The veil is so thin–just a gentle tug, and everything falls into ce.


    Thinking about that, I lowered my gaze to my own fingers, suddenly lost. ‘But what about me?‘ I wondered. ‘What will my


    ending be?‘


    Just as I was zoning out, a big hand suddenly reached over and wrapped around my fingers, bold and a little domineering.


    I turned, startled, and saw it was Jared.


    He didn’t even look at me, but his fingers locked tightly with mine, gripping my left hand like he wasn’t letting go.


    The diamond ring on his ring finger pressed against my skin, making my finger ache just a little.


    I tried to shake his hand off, but he kept his eyes averted, just turned his head and said, “That favor? We’re even now.”


    I wentpletely stiff, caught off guard by his sudden move.